Thousands Again Protest Trump Administration At 'No Kings' Rally In Westport

WESTPORT, CT — A crowd on Saturday, estimated to be larger than the one in June at a similar event, turned out in downtown Westport for the No Kings rally to protest the policies and authoritarian tendencies of President Donald Trump and his administration.

At the June protest in the same area, about 2,000 people came out, displaying signs and shouting slogans against what the Trump administration has been doing. But on Saturday, the number may have exceeded 3,000, between a kickoff rally on Jesup Green and the throngs of people lining both sides of the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge (Route 1) and beyond.

Democratic Congressman Jim Himes, who was planning stops on Saturday at the No Kings protests in Ridgefield, Stamford, Bridgeport and Greenwich, in addition to Westport, said that in the current time of fear and anxiety gripping the nation, now is the time to stand together.

"Where I work, the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has been telling all the media that these are hate America rallies," Himes told the Westport crowd. "But make no mistake, we are here because we love our country!"

>>>Read More: ‘No Kings’ Protest Planned This Weekend In Westport: What To Know

Democratic state Reps. Dominque Johnson, Matthew Blumenthal and Jonathan Steinberg, and state Sen. Ceci Maher, echoed those sentiments, with Maher imploring the crowd to take back the symbol of the American Flag, which she said has been co-opted by Republicans and Trump's Make America Great Again followers.

"We must make certain that we own this," Maher said, proudly holding up an American Flag that she said she took out of a closet in her home on Friday. "I realized that I had not hung it for years, because it had become a symbol of something I hated, not America, god I love America, but a symbol of a party that seems to think they own it. They don't own it, and we need to take it back."

— Renowned performer and Westport resident Susan Terry gave a stirring rendition of "America The Beautiful" at Saturday's No Kings rally in downtown Westport. Photo credit: Alfred Branch/Patch

— Two signs aimed at the Supreme Court at Saturday's No Kings protest in Westport. Photo credit: Alfred Branch/Patch

"I've been hearing a lot of crazy things about you people," Blumenthal jokingly told the crowd. "Trump officials have been calling you terrorists, saying you hate America, that you're paid protesters. Funny thing, looking around, I don't see any terrorists here in Westport. I just see a bunch of people who love this country and are ready to fight for its values.

"And the reason these Trump officials are saying these deranged things about us, is because they're scared of you. They understand that the most powerful force against an attempted authoritarian takeover is the voice of the people."

— More signs at Saturday's No Kings protest in downtown Westport. Photo credit: Alfred Branch/Patch